‘A stylish stay in the Peak District, Wildhive’s ethos is to get back to nature without foregoing creature comforts,’ our inspector writes.

There is a relaxed, timeless ambience at this grown-up 19th-century country house (Relais & Château), but things have moved on apace, with fine dining now at the very heart of the operation.

As you drive through landscaped parkland to find this country-house hotel overlooking a lake and 16th-century dovecote, you might wonder if you have arrived in the Loire valley.

Ducks glide on a pond and guests take tea in front of this beautifully proportioned Queen Anne-style mansion in a hamlet between the Cotswolds and the Mendip hills.

Deep in the Sussex countryside, a romantic Elizabethan manor house, built by an ironmaster for his bride, stands amid 1,000 acres of historically important gardens, pleasure grounds and woodland.

'It's ‘fiercely expensive’, but this Relais & Châteaux hotel in a chocolate-box village doesn’t stint on the traditional country house luxuries, drapes, stripes, sofas and chandeliers, florals, antiques, paintings.

‘There is a timeless elegance to Raymond Blanc’s gorgeous country house hotel, where English–French relations reach a deliciously stylish entente cordiale,’ say Guide insiders.

The yellow submarine in the 'beautiful grounds' and the hedge sculpture of a giraffe set the scene at this ‘playful, quirky hotel’, in a traditional honey-stone building.

A ‘stunning Jacobean building’ is, astonishingly, largely the creation of Victorian squire, parson and prolific author the Revd Sabine Baring-Gould.

Birdwatchers and bon vivants beat a path to Tracy and Galton Blackiston’s Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms in a flint farmhouse with Blakeney nature reserve on the doorstep.

From amuse-bouche to dessert, dinner in the candlelit dining room is the highlight at this Georgian town house on a cobbled street in this market town, but that is not to fault the individually styled bedrooms or excellent breakfast.

You can sit on the ramparts and watch for puffins, seals and invading armadas over a cream tea at this Elizabethan artillery castle and family-run hotel within star-shaped walls.

Overlooking the River Hodder in the Forest of Bowland, this sprawling 18th-century manor house is joyously traditional, with stone-flagged floors, open fires and bags of atmosphere.

Overlooking the sea towards Mull, in a 'fabulous location near the harbour', this hotel on the Hebridean island of Iona has a deserved reputation for its warm welcome, fresh and creative food, and restorative peace.

Wildlife spotters are in their element at this 18th-century lodge in ‘a beautiful setting’ on the shores of Loch Sunart.

Scottish culture and celebration are at the heart of the Urquhart family’s hotel, café, bar and restaurant near the ferry terminal on Loch Broom, a social hub with simple bedrooms, young staff, short and interesting locally sourced menus, and a bunkhouse for those on a budget.

Centred on a Georgian farmhouse, with 26 ornamental gardens, a spa, gym, contemporary bedrooms, Michelin-starred dining-room, brasserie and kitchen garden terrace, this hotel has ‘luxury' written all over it.

Everything is peachy at this apricot-hued Georgian country house in the Vale of Belvoir, at the end of a long avenue of lime trees, transformed from a family home into a delightful, idiosyncratic and much-loved hotel.

Close to Westonbirt arboretum, this Cotswold stone Fuller’s hotel in gardens and woodland, has an easy charm, a relaxing bar and drawing room, interesting bedroom choices and varied options in the restaurant.

With peacocks in the garden, kilt-wearing staff, fire-warmed sitting rooms and antiques at every turn, this 17th-century country house is an indulgent experience.

A commanding presence on the high street, this Georgian coaching inn has moved with the times, its interiors beautifully renovated, its bedrooms modern and well equipped, with casual dining in the bar and locally sourced dishes in the restaurant.

Overlooking the village duck pond, a former smithy, shop and barns come together as a hotel with popular restaurant and an indoor pool.

Readers on their third visit to this ‘stunning Georgian building with wonderful grounds’, concluded that everything 'continues to be excellent'.

A former hunting lodge for the Earls of Gainsborough, the latest in the upmarket Signet Collection was a work in progress when our inspector called, with ‘a spa, hairdresser’s, café and farm shop still to open’.

Pack your Schiaparelli gowns, beach pants and playsuits, and board the 'sea tractor' for a trip back to the 1930s at this Art Deco hotel on a tidal island where the beau monde came to play.

‘A stone’s throw from everything Oxford has to offer’, Jeremy Mogford’s second hotel (see the Old Bank) impressed our inspectors with its ‘peaceful, classy vibe’.

Away from the Lake District’s hot spots, in quiet Lorton Vale north of Buttermere, this whitewashed farmhouse B&B mixes rustic authenticity with modern comforts.

‘You feel as though you’re on the French Riviera’ at Olga Polizzi’s seaside hotel ‘in one of the most idyllic locations you could hope to come across’.

'One of the quirkiest, most characterful B&Bs', this five-storey, 19th-century tower mill is set ‘in an idyllic spot’, amid reed beds on the former quayside of the River Glaven.

With its indulgent bedrooms, Michelin-starred dining, attentive staff and guaranteed privacy, many look to Gilpin as the ultimate in Lakeland luxury.

Amid the awe-inspiring landscape of the North West Highlands Geopark, in gardens bordering Badcall Bay, Fiona and Richard Trevor’s small hotel receives readers' acclaim.

Well-being is at the heart of this ‘rather lovely boutique hotel’, a reinvented 16th-century coaching inn, where guests enjoy nature walks, yoga and the run of Castle Ashby's pleasure grounds.

There is a touch of the baronial about this pink sandstone Tudor-style 19th-century mansion, a country house, country sports hotel, its public rooms adorned with shooting trophies.

There are ‘great views of the Camel Estuary’ from this 1920s, family-friendly hotel that is 'virtually on the famous golf course’.

With an enviable position on Windermere, this Georgian hall has a relaxed country house feel, with formal and casual dining options, and bedrooms ranging from family friendly to seriously swanky.

Decorated in cool Scandi-Scots style, this former crofter’s house on the shores of Loch Dunvegan is a celebrated restaurant showcasing local produce, with, across the courtyard, spacious, split-level bedrooms painted in restful shades.

Jeremy Mogford’s conversion of the old Barclays Bank gets credit from a Guide insider for its 'brilliant location, right in the city centre'.

With its towers and battlements this Victorian-folly castle, in 15 acres of grounds, looks imposing yet 'you actually feel like it is your castle'.

Huddled below wooded hills, beside a stone bridge over the River Monnow, this whitewashed former 17th-century coaching inn is delightfully at ease in the landscape.

A through-the-looking-glass sort of place, this hotel playfully inverts the traditional country house theme, with bold interiors created for new owners the Experimental Group.